Islamic Society of Basking Ridge
ISBR Academy
All ISBR programs, including the ISBR Academy held each Sunday, are
designed to serve the educational and spiritual needs of the entire family, including
children ages 4 and up.
In addition to Jummu’a, Tarawih and Eid prayers and regular family social
gatherings, ISBR Academy offers a full educational program on Sundays from 10
a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Cedar Hill Elementary School in Basking Ridge. We have
engaged highly qualified teachers to deliver the best instructional content for this weekly
program that emphasizes helping children and youth to recite the Qur’an correctly with
Tajweed and to memorize it.
 Given the importance of learning how to recite the Qur’an properly, we have
hired a formally trained Qari, Dr. Amer Khokhar, to teach recitation of the
Quran and help children memorize the short surahs of the Qur’an.
 We have also engaged Dr. Walid Abdelwahed to teach Quranic Arabic and
Tajweed.
 Sr. Samar Ismail, a formally trained and certified Arabic language teacher, has
joined us to teach Arabic to children and youth, including college level
instruction.
 While the children are attending their classes, we hold a weekly interactive
Tafsir ul Qur’an session for adults and youth, conducted by Qari Amer, Dr.
Abdelwahed, Dr. Chaudry and others. We are using a panel discussion format to
allow all participants to enhance their understanding of the Qur’an.
 In addition, once a month we will hold a Family Study Circle, led by invited
speakers. Fun activities also are built into the program.
The ISBR Academy general information, class schedule, curriculum and
instructor biographies follow.
ISBR Academy 2011-2012
General Information
Location
ISBR Academy classes are held in excellent rented space at the Cedar Hill Elementary
School located at 100 Peachtree Road, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920.
Schedule
Students should plan to arrive at 9:50 a.m. and assemble in the multipurpose room for a
short Assembly. Instruction begins promptly at 10:00am. Any student arriving in class
after 10:00 a.m. will be allowed to join the class, but will not receive attendance credit
for that period. Please understand that late arriving students disrupt the teacher and the
class, thus taking away from other students’ learning opportunities.
Students should come to class with a notebook and pencil. In addition, students may
bring a backpack/bag and water bottle if desired. Snacks and drinks are provided by
ISBR during the 11:25-11:40 p.m. break period.
Dhuhr prayer adhan is called at 12:55pm with prayers commencing at 1:00 p.m. We
strongly encourage parents and families to join us for the prayer as this is an important
part of our curriculum and this is an opportunity for the children to practice how to pray
properly with adults serving as role models.
During ISBR Academy hours there are also activities for parents who would like to stay
while their children are in class. Tafsir-ul-Qur’an for adults and youth is held from
10:30am – 11:15am in the multipurpose room. We follow a panel format and encourage
the audience to participate in the discussion.
Family Study Circle Discussions for youth are from 11:30 - 12:30, led by an invited
speaker on a topic of interest to the youth and the broader community.
Fall 2011 Classes will begin on September 18, 2011.
Page 2 — ISBR Academy Information for 2011-2012
ISBR Academy
2011-2012 Academic Year Class Schedule
Level
Level 2
10:00 AM
Arrival,
Preparation
for
Assembly,
Surah
Recital
Arrival,
Preparation
for
Assembly,
Surah
Recital
Arrival,
Preparation
for
Assembly,
Surah
Recital
Level 3
Arrival,
Preparation
for
Assembly,
Surah
Recital
Kindergarten
Level 1
ISBR Academy Administrator:
Registration Coordinator:
10:15
AM to
10:45
AM
10:50 11:25
11:25
AM
to
11:40
AM
KG
Learning
KG
Learning
BREAK
Islamic
Studies 1
(Tagrid)
Quranic
Arabic
(Sr.
Samar &
Sr.
Samah)
Assembly
ctnd,
Tafsir
(Dr.
Chaudry,
Qari
Amer)
Islamic
Studies 2
(Tagrid)
Quran
Reading
&
Recitation
(Dr. Qari
Amer)
Quranic
Arabic
(Sr.
Samar &
Sr.
Samah)
Sr. Samah Ismail
Br. Ansar Kassim
Page 3 — ISBR Academy Information for 2011-2012
11:40 to
12:15
12:20 to
12:55
BREAK
KG
Learning
Quranic
Arabic
(Sr.
Samar &
Sr.
Samah)
KG
Learning
Quran
Reading
&
Recitation
(Dr. Qari
Amer)
Adhan
BREAK
Islamic
Studies 1
(Tagrid)
Islamic
Studies 2
(Tagrid)
Adhan
BREAK
Quran
Reading
&
Recitation
(Dr. Qari
Amer)
Islamic
Studies
(Chaudry)
Adhan
SIsmail@pharmanet.com
ansar.kassim@gmail.com
1:00
Adhan
ISBR Academy
Curriculum – 2011-2012 Academic Year
Level K – Learn Arabic Letters / Introduction to Islamic Studies
This class is for pre-school and kindergarten children, ages four and up, who are not yet
able to read or write fluently. Students will learn to recognize and pronounce the Arabic
alphabet, which is the basis for learning to read Qu’ran. Students will also learn simple
concepts in Islamic Studies through coloring-based activities and worksheets.
Level 1 – Learn Arabic Letters / Islamic Studies Levels 1-2 / Learn to Read Qu’ran
& Memorization
This class is for students at the first grade level and up who are able to read and write.
Students will learn to recognize, read, and write Arabic letters. They will work from the
levels 1 and 2 Islamic studies books to cover all aspects of Islamic beliefs, practices,
Islamic character, and Islamic history. In addition, students will follow a standard
curriculum and method to learn to read the Qur’an.
Level 2 – Write Arabic Words / Islamic Studies Levels 3-4 / Reciting Qu’ran &
Memorization
This class is for students who are familiar with the Arabic alphabet and ready to
progress on to writing, connecting, and reading Arabic letters in the various shapes and
forms. Students will also begin learning Arabic words that are important for reading the
Qur’an. Students will use workbook levels 3 and 4 for their Islamic studies. In addition,
students will follow a standard curriculum and method to progress onto reading the
Qur’an fluently. At the completion of this level students should be able to read surahs
from the Qur’an and they will have memorized some of the shorter surahs.
Level 3 – Understand Arabic Sentences / Islamic Studies Levels 5-6 / Qu’ran with
Tajweed & Memorization
This class builds on writing skills and vocabulary from Level 2, and introduces grammar,
sentence structure, and key phrases in order to understand verses of the Qur’an. For
example, how to use this, that, those, singles and plurals, feminine and masculine, etc.
Students will continue on their Islamic studies curriculum using workbook levels 5 and 6.
At this level, students will be fluently reading Qu’ran and will focus on reading with
Tajweed and memorizing longer surahs.
Youth Group for Teens (Brother Afaq Kazi)
This is an Islamic Studies youth group for teens wishing to discuss Islamic topics and
issues in depth, along with developing projects for which they may receive community
service credits. Activities include speakers, focused discussion on agreed upon topic,
and ongoing projects.
Page 4 — ISBR Academy Information for 2011-2012
ISBR Academy
Faculty Biographies
Qari Amer Khokhar -Lead Teacher of reciting and memorizing the Qur’an
Qari Dr. Amer Khokhar is trained as a physician and an accomplished hafiz ul Qur’an.
His Islamic education and experience include: Tajweed and Hifaz Program, completed
in Sialkot, Pakistan (1980-1984) and Program Director, Hifz ul-Quran and Tajweed at
JMIC (Jamia Masjid Islamic Center)- American Islamic Academy, Boonton, NJ.
Sr. Samar Ismail – Lead Teacher of Arabic
Sister Samar is a formally trained teacher of Arabic language. She earned a B.A. in the
Arabic Language and Islamic Religion from University of Alexandria, Egypt. From 1985
to 1995, she taught Arabic language as a high school teacher in Egypt. She has taught
Arabic to young children as well as adults in America since 1995.
Dr. Walid Abdelwahed - Lead Teacher of Qur’anic Arabic and Tajweed
Dr. Walid, born and educated in Egypt and the United States, is a research physician,
an Imam and a lead teacher of Qur’anic Arabic and Tajweed. He also participates in
the ISBR Tafsir ul Qur’an program.
Sr. Samah Ismail – ISBR Academy Administrator and Teacher
Sr. Samah, born and educated in Egypt and the United States, is a project manager in
the pharmaceutical industry, teaches Arabic and other subjects at the ISBR Academy.
She also is the Administrator for the ISBR Academy.
Dr. M. Ali Chaudry – Islamic Studies Teacher
Dr. Chaudry is a professor at Rutgers University and has co-authored a number of
publications with Dr. Robert Crane, including the latest textbook, Islam and Muslims. Dr.
Chaudry is a former Mayor of Bernrads Township and a former member of its Board of
Education.
Youth Interns
We are training youth interns who wish to teach younger children.
Page 5 — ISBR Academy Information for 2011-2012